By Ori Lewis JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Maccabi Tel Aviv became Israeli champions for a record 20th time on Monday when they sealed the Premier League title with a 2-0 win over hosts Hapoel Ramat Hasharon. The result gave Tel Aviv an unassailable 13-point lead over second-placed Maccabi Haifa with four matches remaining and will see them play in the preliminary rounds of next season's Champions League.

British Prime Minister David Cameron on Wednesday urged Israeli counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu to reopen peace talks with the Palestinians as they met for the funeral of former British leader Margaret Thatcher. The pair also discussed ways to deepen economic relations between the two countries and the ongoing Syrian crisis. "The Prime Minister emphasised the importance of efforts to restart the Israeli-Palestinian peace process for the future of Israel and the Palestinians and the region," said a read-out of the meeting issued by Cameron's office.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Monday Israel would not give in to "subhuman" terrorists, as the Jewish state honoured its slain soldiers and civilians killed in militant attacks. Netanyahu, at a ceremony at the Mount Herzl national cemetery, pointed to the case of Israeli toddler Adele Biton, still in critical condition after being hurt in a stone-throwing attack on her mother's car in the West Bank a month ago. "As if anyone needed it we got a reminder that a stone is a lethal weapon," he said.

Canadian Foreign Minister John Baird hailed his country's "special friendship" with Israel in Jerusalem talks with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday. The two men "reaffirmed the close and special friendship that underpins the bilateral relationship between our two countries," a joint statement said. "Today, the Jewish people are masters of their own fate, like other nations, in their own sovereign, Jewish state. "Like other nations, Israel has the right to defend itself, by itself," the statement said.